Searchable archives of the biweekly WatchDog TipSheet's story ideas, articles, updates, events and other information with a focus on freedom-of-information issues of concern to environmental journalists in both the U.S. and Canada are posted here on the day of publication. Journalists are eligible for a free email subscription; send name and full contact information to the SEJ office. WatchDog TipSheet is also available via RSS feed. 
Latest WatchDog TipSheet Items
June 3, 2009
"Crime Scene Cleanup" in Kelly AFB Toxics Case
June 3, 2009–New evidence indicates the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry fails to protect communities from dangers such as the now-disappearing plumes of toxic groundwater carrying cancer-causing chemicals far beyond the Kelly Air Force Base near San Antonio, TX.FDA Mulls Putting Public's Health Above Companies' Trade Secrets
June 3, 2009–NYT: "The goal is to open up a system in which the agency failed to inform the public that a widely prescribed heartburn drug was especially toxic to babies; that a diabetes medicine and a painkiller increased heart attack risks; and that antidepressants increased suicidal thoughts and behavior in children and teenagers."List of Nuclear Sites Released in Flub
June 3, 2009–The Government Printing Office web site apparently took down the publication after discovery of the mistake -- but the entire report is still available on the site of the Federation of American Scientists' Project on Government Secrecy.New EPA Procedure Improves Transparency on Air Standards
June 3, 2009–The Obama EPA partially reverses a Bush-era procedure for setting health-based standards under the Clean Air Act.New Jersey DEP Proposes Gag Order on Science Info
June 3, 2009–The Newark Star-Ledger reports a move by a top New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection official to prevent public disclosure of scientific information that should be public until political appointees without science credentials and press officers have approved it.Obama Openness Promise Still Unfulfilled at MSHA
June 3, 2009–The Mine Safety and Health Administration still denies FOIA requests, including one filed in Oct. 2008 by mine safety attorney Tony Oppegard for some witness statements.May 20, 2009
Analysis: Obama Openness Has Yet To Fulfill Promise
May 20, 2009–Watchdog groups and the Associated Press report on federal agency foot-dragging in making a reality of Obama administration declarations that it would foster government transparency.Canadian Court Takes up Shield Issue
May 20, 2009–The Supreme Court of Canada will consider this week a request by the National Post, civil liberties and media groups to overturn an Appeal ruling that police investigations override the Charter guarantee of free expression.EPA Puts Status of FOIA Requests Online
May 20, 2009–The browsable report lists the date the request was received, the date a response is due, and the status.Forest Activists Drop Suit on Press-Conference Ejection
May 20, 2009–After an appeals court ruling against them, and running out of funds, conservationists dropped their suit against the Forest Service for escorting them from a press conference on a Bitterroot National Forest timber sale.
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